Port Hood Day Park, Inverness Beach, and Margaree Harbor, Cape Breton Island

I was already is love with Nova Scotia before I crossed over to Cape Breton but the island clinched it. On my counter-clockwise tour I first stopped at Port Hood Day Park for a walk on the beach. I wasn’t expecting such varied beach landscapes with both rocky areas and stretches of red sand and I was pleasantly surprised. I walked around the point and then returned via the boardwalk trail which provided stunning views of the dunes and flowering meadows.

I stopped on my second day at Inverness Beach, which features a Boardwalk Trail with views of the town as well as the beach and dunes (also a golf course, if that’s your thing). I arrived near sunset and decided to overnight at the beach, which is situated next to the town wharf, and quite a busy one it is; I was accustomed to the overnight activity while sleeping next to wharves but this one seemed exceptionally active. The mile or so Boardwalk Trail along the dunes made for a pleasant morning walk making it a pretty nice place to spend the night.

Driving up the Cabot Trail I made a few additional stops before nearing Cape Breton National Park to enjoy the coast along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.